- League positions: Ilves are 9th in Veikkausliiga 2026 after 18 games, 17 points better off than IFK Mariehamn in 12th place.
- Away form: The visitors are winless in 9 away games in Veikkausliiga 2026.
- Defensive record: IFK Mariehamn have conceded 22 goals on the road in Veikkausliiga 2026 – 2.44 per match on average.
Stick with the home side
Odds and standings
Ilves Tampere enter Sunday's Veikkausliiga 2026 clash as the clear odds-on favorite at 1.29, with IFK Mariehamn available at 8.5 and the tie at 5.0. The gap in the odds is justified, as the home team are in the lower half of the table on 22 points from 18 games while the visitors are languishing on 5 from 18.
Recent form
Ilves arrive here in mixed form, but mostly positive, after a recent run of three wins from five in all competitions. That sequence includes a 1-0 home win over FC Lahti in Veikkausliiga 2026, a penalty shootout win over Stjarnan in UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 and a 1-0 away defeat to AC Oulu in Veikkausliiga 2026.
Roberth Bjoerknesjoe's side are much less formidable, with zero wins, one tie and four defeats from their last five in all competitions. The most recent two results were a 1-1 tie at home to AC Oulu in Veikkausliiga 2026 followed by a 3-0 away loss to TPS.
Opposing styles should suit the hosts
Ilves are a possession-based side that like to control the pace and tempo of games.
However, IFK's Adam Larsson is the only player to have scored more than once in Veikkausliiga 2026 for the side – and he only has two – so there's not much potency up front for the away team.
This has a home-sided feel to it given the respective forms and the fact that Ilves have won their last two at Tammela Stadion, so the hosts should front-foot this contest. There's value in Ilves and over 1.5 goals in the game as the favourite should be able to control the game and see off the opponents, although IFK's compact structure should keep the scoreline respectable if they can dig in early.
Ilves lead the head-to-head with one win and one draw from two meetings, with the draw coming when the sides met at IFK Mariehamn's ground in Veikkausliiga 2026. That was a 2-2 tie, so this fixture can get a little tricky, but Ilves are likely to have too much quality and IFK are without a win in their last two away games against Ilves.
- Camilo Speranza's side, who are trained at Barcelona's academy, are set up from a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 base and are built on full-back width and structure.
- On the other hand, IFK will sit in a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 shape and look to stay solid before trying to hurt teams in transition.
- This should see Ilves on the ball and the away side in survival mode from the off, so IFK will try to stay compact and nick moments on the break.
